This summer before the chaos of my son being born I devoured a three-book science fiction series coincidentally named Chaos Walking. The books, The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men, had been calling to me from the library shelves all year. Somehow between my pregnancy, grad school, elementary library lessons, and teaching Oklahoma History, I didn't have a ton of extra time to read (go figure!), so I was picky in what I did choose to read. These were the first books off the shelf when school ended, and I finished them in a week.
Written by Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking follows thirteen-year-old Todd and his friend Viola on a planet named New World. Todd and all the other males on New World can hear each other's thoughts, which they call Noise, a constant source of turmoil for them. In the first novel, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd is forced to go on the run after discovering the terrible reason his settlement is inhabited solely by males. He and Viola are chased by the town's leader, Mayor Prentiss, who will go to any lengths to silence Todd and gain power for himself. When Todd and Viola are separated in The Ask and the Answer, they each must deal with near terrorist-like leaders and decide where their loyalties lie. At the end of the second novel, war begins with the humans and the native species, the Spackle, and is continued in Monsters of Men. The conclusion of the series is full of unexpected twists and heart-wrenching tragedies, and readers will be satisfied.
Each of the novels is captivating in its own way. Often a reader feels a sense of letdown or disappointment in at least one of the books in a series (usually for me, the conclusion), but that is thankfully missing here. Ness writes beautifully, describing a world both alien in its geography yet familiar in its culture. His characters are well-rounded, provoking a multitude of feelings. One of the memorable characters here is Mayor (later President) Prentiss, an unimaginably loathsome man who somehow elicits sympathy. The author also perfectly captures the discomfort and often embarrassment of Noise, showing just how vulnerable the men on New World are. It makes the reader squirm in discomfort wondering how one would handle others hearing every single thought. A truly thought-provoking read, recommended for grades 7 and up.
Written by Patrick Ness, Chaos Walking follows thirteen-year-old Todd and his friend Viola on a planet named New World. Todd and all the other males on New World can hear each other's thoughts, which they call Noise, a constant source of turmoil for them. In the first novel, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd is forced to go on the run after discovering the terrible reason his settlement is inhabited solely by males. He and Viola are chased by the town's leader, Mayor Prentiss, who will go to any lengths to silence Todd and gain power for himself. When Todd and Viola are separated in The Ask and the Answer, they each must deal with near terrorist-like leaders and decide where their loyalties lie. At the end of the second novel, war begins with the humans and the native species, the Spackle, and is continued in Monsters of Men. The conclusion of the series is full of unexpected twists and heart-wrenching tragedies, and readers will be satisfied.
Each of the novels is captivating in its own way. Often a reader feels a sense of letdown or disappointment in at least one of the books in a series (usually for me, the conclusion), but that is thankfully missing here. Ness writes beautifully, describing a world both alien in its geography yet familiar in its culture. His characters are well-rounded, provoking a multitude of feelings. One of the memorable characters here is Mayor (later President) Prentiss, an unimaginably loathsome man who somehow elicits sympathy. The author also perfectly captures the discomfort and often embarrassment of Noise, showing just how vulnerable the men on New World are. It makes the reader squirm in discomfort wondering how one would handle others hearing every single thought. A truly thought-provoking read, recommended for grades 7 and up.